Even though 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible, it makes for a fascinating read! Many people overlook it due to it's length. However, if we simply take the time to examine its contents, there is a lot we can take away from what John has written to his dear friend.
John wrote this letter to someone who was obviously a dear friend of his, named Gaius. It seems as though Gaius was at one time a disciple of John's, since John refers to him as one of his children that is now walking in the truth (v.4).
John is taking the time to commend his dear friend by letting him know that he has heard of Gaius' continued faithfulness to Christ. Gaius doesn't simply talk the talk, he walks the walk.
There is not very much substance that pertains to us until we get to verse 9. From here, John tells Gaius about a man named Diotrephes, who is also apparently a part of Gaius' church. It is clear from the text that Diotrephes has some major authority issues. He has placed himself in charge of the church and is forbidding outside Christians from visiting. John even tells us that Diptrephes wanted nothing to do with him even!
We don't really know what the deal Diotrephes deal is...we just know that John doesn't like it. John even encourages his friend Gaius not to imitate what is evil as he is referring to Gaius.
We can't really know what Diotrephes issue is for sure, but I think we can make a pretty good guess. It seems as though Diotrephes was overly afraid of outside influences infiltrating the church....so much so that he doesn't even want anything to do with John. It seems as thought Diotrephes has taken it upon himself to safeguard the Christian community. In the process, though, he has built barriers up between himself and everyone else. He has become judgmental and cold.
What we can take away:
It is interesting to me that Diotrephes never changed his name after he became a Christian. His name literally means, "Nourished by Jupiter," or "Fed by Jupiter." Jupiter, of course was the equivalent of Zeus in Roman theology. He was the King of the gods to the Romans.
There is a very, very strong chance that Diotrephes came from a family of wealth and popularity. No poor family would name their son, "Fed by Jupiter." It wouldn't make sense! It is also very likely, if his family truly is rich, that he would come from a long line of leaders. Most likely, his father was a leader and his father's father...and so on.
All of this to say that, Diotrephes is used to being in charge. He is most likely used to having his way. If that is the case, it is obvious that this is a part of his old self that has not died off yet now that he is in Christ. Now, he wants to rule this church and keep others out...a very tragic thing.
Again, John encourages Gaius not to imitate what is evil (what Diotrephes is doing) but to imitate what is good. He goes from there to say (v.11) that anyone who does what is good is from God and that anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
And, here is where I would like to end. Those who do good, according to John, are from God...meaning that they have their origin in Him, that they are oriented around Him, that they belong to Him. Those who continue to do evil, though, have not seen God.
Why? Because those who have seen God understand how necessary it is to re-orient their entire lives around Him. John uses the Greek word "oraho" for "see." This has something to do with much more than just seeing with the eyes. It means, "seeing with the mind," or "experiencing." It is the type of seeing that Jesus is talking about in Matt. 6:22-23:
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But, if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness."
The Point: God is not just some doctrine to be believed. God is not just an idea...a thought. He is a being that we need to "see" and yearn to experience. That, union with Him should be our ultimate good. For, if we don't see Him, all we know is darkness and all we can do is evil.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
2 John: A Woman of Power
2 John is a book that is often overly neglected due to the fact that it is so short, and that it seems so similar to 1 John. Most people don't ever really take a second look at it.
However, whenever you really take the time and put forth the effort to really dive into what is being said, it doesn't take long to see that this letter is riddled with mystery. Before we dive into all of that, though, let's take a look at some of the glaringly obvious things in the letter.
First off, take a note of how incredibly similar the message is in this letter to the message in the letter of 1 John. It seems as though John is simply summarizing what he said in 1 John in 2 John. So much so that, if you want to know what 1 John is all about overall, all you need to do is read 2 John. Its almost like reading the Cliff Notes for 1 John.
With that said, take the time to notice the differences between 1 and 2 John:
-In 1 John, John is writing to an entire church (the Ephesians) whereas in 2 John he is writing to a smaller group of Christians, one woman and her "children" in particular.
-Notice, also, how John never mentions his name in 1 John and how he calls himself "the elder" in 2 John.
-Lastly, notice how in 3 John, which is incredibly similar in structure to 2 John, John addresses the person he is writing to by name..."Gaius." In 2 John, he just refers to the person that he is writing to as "the lady."
At the beginning of this article, I told you that 2 John is riddled with mystery. I say this because of "the lady." We read over this without ever really raising any other questions about her but we simply come to the conclusion, "Cool, John is writing to some lady," without ever really taking the time to ask of who she is. And really, we can't understand much about her without knowing a little bit of New Testament Greek.
Here is something that may intrigue you:
-The Greek word for "the lady" is Kuria. Before I define it for you, take a look at another Greek word that is the masculine version of Kuria. That word is Kurios.
So, you are asking to yourself, "So what? Where are you going with this?"
The word Kurios means "Lord." It is the word that replaced the Hebrew word "Yahweh." It is the very word that is used every time we call Jesus "Lord." Now, come back to Kuria. Kuria is simply the feminine version of Kurios "Lord." This means that she is some type of female "Lord" or "Master." Now, John is by no means saying that this woman is a god, or equivalent to Jesus our Lord, but that he is simply recognizing her position of power and authority. She is significant to John and we must recognize that.
What can we learn from this woman that is obvious from the letter? A few things:
1) Again, she is in a position of authority, so much so that John even refers to her as Master.
2) In verse 1, he tells her that all who know the Truth will love her and her children as he does. What does this mean? That she is going to be very well known and loved by, what it seems, by several Christians if not all of them. "the lady....whom I love in the truth-and not only I, but also all who know the truth."
3) She has children, verse 4.
4) She has been working with John for a long period of time apparently. "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for..." He is warning her to be alert so that they do not lose all that they have gained.
5) She has a sister. Now, this could mean either a blood relative or a sister in the Lord.
Now, truth be told, no one can know who this "lady" is for sure. We can only speculate.
I want to throw an interesting thought your way. Now, I readily admit that there is a good chance that I am incorrect. However, I think that what I am about to say will make a lot of sense.
I think that there is a fairly high chance that the lady that John is writing to is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here is why I say this:
-Jesus, while he was dying on the cross, commissioned John to take care of Mary. "Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple (John), here is your mother." It says in John 19:27 that John took care of her and she lived with him from that point on.
-Church history tells us that several years after the Resurrection of Jesus, John took Mary to Ephesus where John became the leader of the the Ephesian church after Timothy.
-Ephesus had always been a place of great persecution towards Christians. The Ephesians stirred up riots against Christians. Ephesus was the very place that Paul was put on trial. It was also the place that John was exiled from to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation and, arguably, some of his other letters.
-Now, with all of the turmoil, John was a busy man. I am sure that he still continued to travel around even after he arrived in Ephesus. Which means, there is a fairly high probability that he could have written a letter to Mary, warning her of the sudden outbreak of false teachers in Ephesus.
Why I think this letter could be addressed to Mary:
1) Mary was well known inside of and outside of the church. We actually know very little about Mary after the time of Jesus other than the fact that she lived with John in Ephesus for a time. I think we know so little about her not because she had little influence on the church at the time, but because the church was trying to protect her and keep her safe. They wanted to protect her from falling into the hands of those who were persecuting Christianity.
With that said, notice that John doesn't address her by name. He is protecting her identity, in case the letter were to fall into the wrong hands. So, she is significant enough that she needs to be protected.
2) John says, again, that all who know the truth will come to love her and her children as he has loved her, verse 1. Now, he seems to be talking about Christians throughout the ages, because he is talking about knowing the truth, loving in truth, and that truth lasting forever, verses 1 and 2.
3) Mary did have other sons who apparently didn't come to faith until after Jesus' resurrection. This could be why John is so excited that some of her children are now walking in the truth, verse 4. Also, the children in verse 4 could be referring to Christians.
4) Lastly, he calls her "Master." This is by no means insignificant. Again, this is the apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved...the one who was one of the greatest influences of all time...he calls her Master? Now, we need to ask the important question; "What woman does John view as significant enough to be called Master?"
I have said all of this because it is intriguing to think about, isn't it?
Again, I very well could be wrong here. I readily admit that.
However, whoever this lady is, we must never forget that she is a person of prominence and respect within the early church and especially in the apostle John's mind.
However, whenever you really take the time and put forth the effort to really dive into what is being said, it doesn't take long to see that this letter is riddled with mystery. Before we dive into all of that, though, let's take a look at some of the glaringly obvious things in the letter.
First off, take a note of how incredibly similar the message is in this letter to the message in the letter of 1 John. It seems as though John is simply summarizing what he said in 1 John in 2 John. So much so that, if you want to know what 1 John is all about overall, all you need to do is read 2 John. Its almost like reading the Cliff Notes for 1 John.
With that said, take the time to notice the differences between 1 and 2 John:
-In 1 John, John is writing to an entire church (the Ephesians) whereas in 2 John he is writing to a smaller group of Christians, one woman and her "children" in particular.
-Notice, also, how John never mentions his name in 1 John and how he calls himself "the elder" in 2 John.
-Lastly, notice how in 3 John, which is incredibly similar in structure to 2 John, John addresses the person he is writing to by name..."Gaius." In 2 John, he just refers to the person that he is writing to as "the lady."
At the beginning of this article, I told you that 2 John is riddled with mystery. I say this because of "the lady." We read over this without ever really raising any other questions about her but we simply come to the conclusion, "Cool, John is writing to some lady," without ever really taking the time to ask of who she is. And really, we can't understand much about her without knowing a little bit of New Testament Greek.
Here is something that may intrigue you:
-The Greek word for "the lady" is Kuria. Before I define it for you, take a look at another Greek word that is the masculine version of Kuria. That word is Kurios.
So, you are asking to yourself, "So what? Where are you going with this?"
The word Kurios means "Lord." It is the word that replaced the Hebrew word "Yahweh." It is the very word that is used every time we call Jesus "Lord." Now, come back to Kuria. Kuria is simply the feminine version of Kurios "Lord." This means that she is some type of female "Lord" or "Master." Now, John is by no means saying that this woman is a god, or equivalent to Jesus our Lord, but that he is simply recognizing her position of power and authority. She is significant to John and we must recognize that.
What can we learn from this woman that is obvious from the letter? A few things:
1) Again, she is in a position of authority, so much so that John even refers to her as Master.
2) In verse 1, he tells her that all who know the Truth will love her and her children as he does. What does this mean? That she is going to be very well known and loved by, what it seems, by several Christians if not all of them. "the lady....whom I love in the truth-and not only I, but also all who know the truth."
3) She has children, verse 4.
4) She has been working with John for a long period of time apparently. "Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for..." He is warning her to be alert so that they do not lose all that they have gained.
5) She has a sister. Now, this could mean either a blood relative or a sister in the Lord.
Now, truth be told, no one can know who this "lady" is for sure. We can only speculate.
I want to throw an interesting thought your way. Now, I readily admit that there is a good chance that I am incorrect. However, I think that what I am about to say will make a lot of sense.
I think that there is a fairly high chance that the lady that John is writing to is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here is why I say this:
-Jesus, while he was dying on the cross, commissioned John to take care of Mary. "Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple (John), here is your mother." It says in John 19:27 that John took care of her and she lived with him from that point on.
-Church history tells us that several years after the Resurrection of Jesus, John took Mary to Ephesus where John became the leader of the the Ephesian church after Timothy.
-Ephesus had always been a place of great persecution towards Christians. The Ephesians stirred up riots against Christians. Ephesus was the very place that Paul was put on trial. It was also the place that John was exiled from to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation and, arguably, some of his other letters.
-Now, with all of the turmoil, John was a busy man. I am sure that he still continued to travel around even after he arrived in Ephesus. Which means, there is a fairly high probability that he could have written a letter to Mary, warning her of the sudden outbreak of false teachers in Ephesus.
Why I think this letter could be addressed to Mary:
1) Mary was well known inside of and outside of the church. We actually know very little about Mary after the time of Jesus other than the fact that she lived with John in Ephesus for a time. I think we know so little about her not because she had little influence on the church at the time, but because the church was trying to protect her and keep her safe. They wanted to protect her from falling into the hands of those who were persecuting Christianity.
With that said, notice that John doesn't address her by name. He is protecting her identity, in case the letter were to fall into the wrong hands. So, she is significant enough that she needs to be protected.
2) John says, again, that all who know the truth will come to love her and her children as he has loved her, verse 1. Now, he seems to be talking about Christians throughout the ages, because he is talking about knowing the truth, loving in truth, and that truth lasting forever, verses 1 and 2.
3) Mary did have other sons who apparently didn't come to faith until after Jesus' resurrection. This could be why John is so excited that some of her children are now walking in the truth, verse 4. Also, the children in verse 4 could be referring to Christians.
4) Lastly, he calls her "Master." This is by no means insignificant. Again, this is the apostle John, the one whom Jesus loved...the one who was one of the greatest influences of all time...he calls her Master? Now, we need to ask the important question; "What woman does John view as significant enough to be called Master?"
I have said all of this because it is intriguing to think about, isn't it?
Again, I very well could be wrong here. I readily admit that.
However, whoever this lady is, we must never forget that she is a person of prominence and respect within the early church and especially in the apostle John's mind.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
1 John 5
Eternal life is God. Jesus doesn't just lead us to salvation, but He is salvation. Obtaining salvation is obtaining God.
John explains it this way, "And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20
That is why worshiping idols is so utterly devastating to us. Whenever we seek to worship idols, whatever they may be (money, sex, popularity, comfort...etc.) we are actually seeking to be united to that idol more than God. Whenever we seek whatever it is that we think we are gaining from idols, we are actually seeking to reject God's nearness to us and the life that is given to us as God frees us.
No wonder John ends the letter with, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." This is serious stuff.
With all of that said, I think that we can now make sense of a passage that is quite confusing and intriguing; 1 John 5:16-17:
"16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death"
A lot of people come to that passage, including myself, and ask, "what on earth does this mean?"
I think, in short, becoming fixated on idols is what leads us to death. I am talking about more than just the occasional slip up here and there, but about someone allowing an idol to become his/her lord. That, they enslave themselves to an idol.
This seems to be what has happened with the Ephesian church that John is writing to. Throughout the entire letter, John has been making arguments about how Jesus truly has come in the flesh, that God has really stepped into our world. John spends a lot of time in this letter reminding the people of who Jesus is as if there are some out there who are contesting the fact that Jesus is God.
He talks about people in chapter 2 who were once a part of the church, but have now left. He calls them the "antichrists." Furthermore, Paul in the book of Acts tells the Ephesian pastors to guard themselves and the church because people will come seeking to confuse and deceive those in the church. He also goes onto say that he knows that some people will rise up from within the church and lead people astray.
There is also a place in the Gospels where Jesus tells the Pharisees that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is one and the same thing...that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the other side of the idolatry coin that John is talking about.
Putting it all together: Why is blasphemy of the Spirit unforgivable? And, why do idols lead us to death? The 2 go together because we reject the Spirit in order to worship idols and if we worship idols, it means that we are rejecting the Spirit. Furthermore, people blaspheme the Spirit whenever they recognize that the Spirit is at work, but they reject Him thinking that he is bad, evil, or inadequate....therefore they turn to idols.
In other words, the sin that leads to death is this: Understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work but choosing to consciously reject Him anyways in order to make some other idol the Lord of your life.
To finish up, John wrote this letter to the Ephesians because there are people who once were a part of the church that have now left and are trying to pull others away from the church and away from Christ as well. John spends the majority of the letter reminding the Ephesians that Jesus is truly the Messiah, that he has come in a physical way, and that Jesus truly is God. Furthermore, he tells them what it means to be true Christians, that those who are children of God love one another. He tells them this so that they can guard themselves against those who are trying to tell them to live differently. Lastly, he reminds them that there is a sin that leads to death, which is the option that those who have left the church have chosen. He concludes the letter by both warning and encouraging them.
To paraphrase, "Keep yourselves from idols so that you to may not be led astray. However, I am writing these things to you to remind you that you are in Christ, that you have eternal life, and if you see a brother or sister committing a sin that does not lead them to abandon the church, don't freak out about it....but pray for them so that they can be restored."
John explains it this way, "And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:20
That is why worshiping idols is so utterly devastating to us. Whenever we seek to worship idols, whatever they may be (money, sex, popularity, comfort...etc.) we are actually seeking to be united to that idol more than God. Whenever we seek whatever it is that we think we are gaining from idols, we are actually seeking to reject God's nearness to us and the life that is given to us as God frees us.
No wonder John ends the letter with, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." This is serious stuff.
With all of that said, I think that we can now make sense of a passage that is quite confusing and intriguing; 1 John 5:16-17:
"16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death"
A lot of people come to that passage, including myself, and ask, "what on earth does this mean?"
I think, in short, becoming fixated on idols is what leads us to death. I am talking about more than just the occasional slip up here and there, but about someone allowing an idol to become his/her lord. That, they enslave themselves to an idol.
This seems to be what has happened with the Ephesian church that John is writing to. Throughout the entire letter, John has been making arguments about how Jesus truly has come in the flesh, that God has really stepped into our world. John spends a lot of time in this letter reminding the people of who Jesus is as if there are some out there who are contesting the fact that Jesus is God.
He talks about people in chapter 2 who were once a part of the church, but have now left. He calls them the "antichrists." Furthermore, Paul in the book of Acts tells the Ephesian pastors to guard themselves and the church because people will come seeking to confuse and deceive those in the church. He also goes onto say that he knows that some people will rise up from within the church and lead people astray.
There is also a place in the Gospels where Jesus tells the Pharisees that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is one and the same thing...that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the other side of the idolatry coin that John is talking about.
Putting it all together: Why is blasphemy of the Spirit unforgivable? And, why do idols lead us to death? The 2 go together because we reject the Spirit in order to worship idols and if we worship idols, it means that we are rejecting the Spirit. Furthermore, people blaspheme the Spirit whenever they recognize that the Spirit is at work, but they reject Him thinking that he is bad, evil, or inadequate....therefore they turn to idols.
In other words, the sin that leads to death is this: Understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work but choosing to consciously reject Him anyways in order to make some other idol the Lord of your life.
To finish up, John wrote this letter to the Ephesians because there are people who once were a part of the church that have now left and are trying to pull others away from the church and away from Christ as well. John spends the majority of the letter reminding the Ephesians that Jesus is truly the Messiah, that he has come in a physical way, and that Jesus truly is God. Furthermore, he tells them what it means to be true Christians, that those who are children of God love one another. He tells them this so that they can guard themselves against those who are trying to tell them to live differently. Lastly, he reminds them that there is a sin that leads to death, which is the option that those who have left the church have chosen. He concludes the letter by both warning and encouraging them.
To paraphrase, "Keep yourselves from idols so that you to may not be led astray. However, I am writing these things to you to remind you that you are in Christ, that you have eternal life, and if you see a brother or sister committing a sin that does not lead them to abandon the church, don't freak out about it....but pray for them so that they can be restored."
Prayer
Prayer is war. Prayer is a fight, and nothing less than that. So many of us struggle from day to day, week to week, even year to year with prayer because we simply don't think of prayer at all in this way.
We tend to forget that there is an enemy...and enemy who desires to keep us distracted...an enemy who whispers accusations against us in our ears making us feel as though we are too guilty to come before our Lord in prayer, so we don't even attempt it.
I was reading a paper a few weeks ago where the author talked about a monastery during the times of the early church. There are several recorded conversations from those who lived there, but one conversation stuck out to me particularly.
There was an elderly man who had been a monk all of his life who was once questioned by some travelers to the monastery, "What do you find the hardest Christian virtue is?" In other words, they were asking, "what do you find to be the hardest thing for Christians to do?"
His answer was simple and to the point; "prayer." He went on from there to explain that the devil, above all else, desires to keep us from prayer. That, if Satan could stop us from doing anything, he would interrupt our prayer life and he will distract us in any way that he can.
I find it fascinating that this man, whose life was entirely centered around prayer as a monk, found that the most difficult thing to do was pray.
I am sharing all of this with you because, if we properly understand how the devil is seeking to thwart us, we can better understand our stance on prayer. That, we don't need to be as passive about it as many of us are, but that we need to show up eager for the challenge, always remembering that God is on our side and that if "God is for us, who can be against us?"
It's no wonder that Paul used images such as running a race and fighting a battle whenever he tried to describe the kind of life that Christians are up against.
So, finally, take Paul's words as encouragement as you pray:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds....and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
We tend to forget that there is an enemy...and enemy who desires to keep us distracted...an enemy who whispers accusations against us in our ears making us feel as though we are too guilty to come before our Lord in prayer, so we don't even attempt it.
I was reading a paper a few weeks ago where the author talked about a monastery during the times of the early church. There are several recorded conversations from those who lived there, but one conversation stuck out to me particularly.
There was an elderly man who had been a monk all of his life who was once questioned by some travelers to the monastery, "What do you find the hardest Christian virtue is?" In other words, they were asking, "what do you find to be the hardest thing for Christians to do?"
His answer was simple and to the point; "prayer." He went on from there to explain that the devil, above all else, desires to keep us from prayer. That, if Satan could stop us from doing anything, he would interrupt our prayer life and he will distract us in any way that he can.
I find it fascinating that this man, whose life was entirely centered around prayer as a monk, found that the most difficult thing to do was pray.
I am sharing all of this with you because, if we properly understand how the devil is seeking to thwart us, we can better understand our stance on prayer. That, we don't need to be as passive about it as many of us are, but that we need to show up eager for the challenge, always remembering that God is on our side and that if "God is for us, who can be against us?"
It's no wonder that Paul used images such as running a race and fighting a battle whenever he tried to describe the kind of life that Christians are up against.
So, finally, take Paul's words as encouragement as you pray:
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds....and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
With a new year in mind...
How will this school year be different than last year and the years before? Will you follow hard after God into this new year? Will you seek to become more of the person that God has called you to be this year? Will you make more friendships, work harder at your school work, and seek to grow closer to your family?
Will this be one of those years where you can look back and see how it has impacted your life because you allowed it to do so?
The same goes for youth group. Will this be a year where you seek to build others up in selfless service? Will you come to youth group seeking to be served or seeking to serve? Will you seek to understand the gifts that God has given you so that you can give them away to others?
Will your time in the Word shape how you respond to all of these questions?
The truth of the matter is that there are many things in this life that you cannot control. For example, you can't control how much homework you get. Another, you can't control the actions of others.
However, you can control how you respond and what you do. Even though you can't control how much homework you get, you can control your attitude about it. Even though you can't control a bully's actions, you can control how you respond to them.
How? You ask:
By getting into the Word and applying it to your lifestyle.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." -2 Tim. 3:16-17
Why does God give us the Scripture? The short answer is this: That you would be equipped for every good work. That you would know how to live wisely and in a way that pleases God and builds up others.
Last question: Will you seek more from the Bible than just head knowledge this year...or, will allow the Scriptures to guide the Way that you life you life?
Will this be one of those years where you can look back and see how it has impacted your life because you allowed it to do so?
The same goes for youth group. Will this be a year where you seek to build others up in selfless service? Will you come to youth group seeking to be served or seeking to serve? Will you seek to understand the gifts that God has given you so that you can give them away to others?
Will your time in the Word shape how you respond to all of these questions?
The truth of the matter is that there are many things in this life that you cannot control. For example, you can't control how much homework you get. Another, you can't control the actions of others.
However, you can control how you respond and what you do. Even though you can't control how much homework you get, you can control your attitude about it. Even though you can't control a bully's actions, you can control how you respond to them.
How? You ask:
By getting into the Word and applying it to your lifestyle.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." -2 Tim. 3:16-17
Why does God give us the Scripture? The short answer is this: That you would be equipped for every good work. That you would know how to live wisely and in a way that pleases God and builds up others.
Last question: Will you seek more from the Bible than just head knowledge this year...or, will allow the Scriptures to guide the Way that you life you life?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Galatians 1:1-10
This is the first of many weeks that we are going to be spending in the book of Galatians. Galatians is such a relevant book to the issues that many of us face in our day to day lives; peer pressure, bullying, self-worth, finding our true identity, love, friendship, conflict...etc.
Paul starts off in 1:1-1:2 talking about how he wasn't sent by any human being, or any human group, such as a church. No, Paul tells the Galatians that he was sent by Jesus Himself. He is a preacher and church planter because he has recognized the calling that God has placed on his life.
He then goes on to tell us in his greeting that Jesus gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. To clarify, he is saying that it is God's will that we be rescued right here and now and not just in the afterlife. In other words, salvation starts here and now and not just after we die.
It is also important to notice how Paul doesn't mention heaven or hell here, but that God's intent is to rescue us from this evil age. It doesn't mean that heaven and hell aren't significant. Paul tends not to focus on them in his writings. He is always more concerned our response to God in this age.
Starting in verse 6 Paul calls out the Galatians because they are turning away from the Gospel because some people are confusing the Galatians with un-biblical teaching.
Notice in verses 8 and 9 how seriously Paul takes this. He repeats himself in saying that those who preach a false Gospel are under God's curse. To Paul, the Gospel is not something to mess with...it needs to be upheld and taught appropriately. So far, in this letter, he doesn't tell us what the Gospel is. He just calls the Galatians out for deserting it.
Lastly, Paul is getting ready to appeal to the church in Galatia as their brother in Christ and apostle. He tells them that he is not trying to win human approval. Not that he doesn't care what people think of him. After all, he is a human being. However, as a servant of Christ, Paul acknowledges the fact that he is going to cut against the grain. He is not seeking human approval above God's. He knows that his identity isn't found in what people think of him, but in what God thinks of him.
How can we apply this text to our own lives?
1) We need to take very seriously whether or not we are following the words of the true Gospel or a false gospel.
2) We need to understand that God intends to rescue us here and now, and not just in the afterlife. God intends to bless His people in this life so that they can be a blessing to others and the world.
3) Even though we all want acceptance from others, we need to have the attitude that Paul has. Do we want to please people? Of course! However, our ultimate aim is to please God, not people. As servants of Christ we seek to please God first because He is the one who has rescued us from this evil age and given us the freedom that can only come in Christ. Plus, we can't truly be a blessing to others unto we have received God's blessing.
Paul starts off in 1:1-1:2 talking about how he wasn't sent by any human being, or any human group, such as a church. No, Paul tells the Galatians that he was sent by Jesus Himself. He is a preacher and church planter because he has recognized the calling that God has placed on his life.
He then goes on to tell us in his greeting that Jesus gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. To clarify, he is saying that it is God's will that we be rescued right here and now and not just in the afterlife. In other words, salvation starts here and now and not just after we die.
It is also important to notice how Paul doesn't mention heaven or hell here, but that God's intent is to rescue us from this evil age. It doesn't mean that heaven and hell aren't significant. Paul tends not to focus on them in his writings. He is always more concerned our response to God in this age.
Starting in verse 6 Paul calls out the Galatians because they are turning away from the Gospel because some people are confusing the Galatians with un-biblical teaching.
Notice in verses 8 and 9 how seriously Paul takes this. He repeats himself in saying that those who preach a false Gospel are under God's curse. To Paul, the Gospel is not something to mess with...it needs to be upheld and taught appropriately. So far, in this letter, he doesn't tell us what the Gospel is. He just calls the Galatians out for deserting it.
Lastly, Paul is getting ready to appeal to the church in Galatia as their brother in Christ and apostle. He tells them that he is not trying to win human approval. Not that he doesn't care what people think of him. After all, he is a human being. However, as a servant of Christ, Paul acknowledges the fact that he is going to cut against the grain. He is not seeking human approval above God's. He knows that his identity isn't found in what people think of him, but in what God thinks of him.
How can we apply this text to our own lives?
1) We need to take very seriously whether or not we are following the words of the true Gospel or a false gospel.
2) We need to understand that God intends to rescue us here and now, and not just in the afterlife. God intends to bless His people in this life so that they can be a blessing to others and the world.
3) Even though we all want acceptance from others, we need to have the attitude that Paul has. Do we want to please people? Of course! However, our ultimate aim is to please God, not people. As servants of Christ we seek to please God first because He is the one who has rescued us from this evil age and given us the freedom that can only come in Christ. Plus, we can't truly be a blessing to others unto we have received God's blessing.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Made in God's Image: Part 3
In the Beginning...
After Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple that God had commanded them not to eat of, they realized that they were naked. Now, you can do an in depth study about what the original language means by the word "naked," but there is no use for that at this point. The thing that we need to grasp, though, is that Adam and Eve realized that they were naked. Now, according to Genesis, Adam and Eve had been naked the whole time and felt no shame over that fact. However, after the apple, things changed.
Where they had been clothed before, they now realized that they weren't clothed any longer. Something vanished after the apple, leaving Adam and Eve conscience of their own exposure.
I have argued elsewhere, and will do so here again that what vanished was God's Spirit. In other words, humanity was designed to be cloaked in very presence of God, saturated by His Holy Spirit.
When they took the bite, they lost nearness to God. Once nearness to God is lost, learning how to live in His image becomes rather difficult because humanity no longer has direct exposure to Him, at least not in the Way that Adam and Eve did. Of course there is much more that can be added here, such as the nature of sin and the total depravity of humanity, but those things flow out of what I have already previously stated.
The most important thing to note is that, where heaven and earth were once interlocking and directly connected, where humanity once dwelled in the fullness of God's presence...all of that was lost with the apple....with once bite of counterfeit servitude.
Mankind could no longer live in the presence of God and live to talk about it. Remember what God told Moses; "no one can see my face and live."
From the apple, humanity thought it best to stray as far from the image of God as possible:
A brother kills a brother; instead of fostering life, humanity decides to take it away.
Even though God commanded Noah's descendants to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, they congregate in one city and fortify it against God, directly rejecting God's initial purpose for humanity.
God's people ask for a king, directly rejecting God's Kingship.
Even though God warned them of this, the King that the people chose started a chain reaction of oppressive kings.
Like Adam of Eve in the garden, humanity sought to please God by their own merit and religious rites.
war, murder, rape, incest, lies, abuse....all because of one bite...one notion that I can do this thing better on my own by my own effort.
Where heaven once ruled, hell now reigned.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you." -Jesus in Mark 10
In the End: Thy Kingdom Come, They will be Done.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." -Peter quoting the ancient prophet Joel in Acts 2:17.
What has been broken will be fixed. What was lost will be found.
Where there was nakedness before, God has decided to cloak yet again. "I will pour out my Spirit."
The world is currently in the midst of a 2nd Genesis. We don't know what day were are on, where God is at exactly in His creation project. We just know that the 7th day is yet to come, the day when everything is finished...when creation is renewed and restored, when God fully and finally decides to allow His presence to "rest" on His good creation again. Sin will be eliminated, death will die fully and finally, satan will be vanquished, every tear will be wiped away as we see the King face to face.
Isa. 26:19
Job 19:25
Heaven on earth.
The Image of God: Jesus of Nazareth
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
To live as Jesus did.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Just as God called Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him...
Jesus calls His disciples to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him.
Where the authority to reign with God had previously been lost, Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28 that, "all authority has been given to me."
After Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple that God had commanded them not to eat of, they realized that they were naked. Now, you can do an in depth study about what the original language means by the word "naked," but there is no use for that at this point. The thing that we need to grasp, though, is that Adam and Eve realized that they were naked. Now, according to Genesis, Adam and Eve had been naked the whole time and felt no shame over that fact. However, after the apple, things changed.
Where they had been clothed before, they now realized that they weren't clothed any longer. Something vanished after the apple, leaving Adam and Eve conscience of their own exposure.
I have argued elsewhere, and will do so here again that what vanished was God's Spirit. In other words, humanity was designed to be cloaked in very presence of God, saturated by His Holy Spirit.
When they took the bite, they lost nearness to God. Once nearness to God is lost, learning how to live in His image becomes rather difficult because humanity no longer has direct exposure to Him, at least not in the Way that Adam and Eve did. Of course there is much more that can be added here, such as the nature of sin and the total depravity of humanity, but those things flow out of what I have already previously stated.
The most important thing to note is that, where heaven and earth were once interlocking and directly connected, where humanity once dwelled in the fullness of God's presence...all of that was lost with the apple....with once bite of counterfeit servitude.
Mankind could no longer live in the presence of God and live to talk about it. Remember what God told Moses; "no one can see my face and live."
From the apple, humanity thought it best to stray as far from the image of God as possible:
A brother kills a brother; instead of fostering life, humanity decides to take it away.
Even though God commanded Noah's descendants to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, they congregate in one city and fortify it against God, directly rejecting God's initial purpose for humanity.
God's people ask for a king, directly rejecting God's Kingship.
Even though God warned them of this, the King that the people chose started a chain reaction of oppressive kings.
Like Adam of Eve in the garden, humanity sought to please God by their own merit and religious rites.
war, murder, rape, incest, lies, abuse....all because of one bite...one notion that I can do this thing better on my own by my own effort.
Where heaven once ruled, hell now reigned.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you." -Jesus in Mark 10
In the End: Thy Kingdom Come, They will be Done.
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." -Peter quoting the ancient prophet Joel in Acts 2:17.
What has been broken will be fixed. What was lost will be found.
Where there was nakedness before, God has decided to cloak yet again. "I will pour out my Spirit."
The world is currently in the midst of a 2nd Genesis. We don't know what day were are on, where God is at exactly in His creation project. We just know that the 7th day is yet to come, the day when everything is finished...when creation is renewed and restored, when God fully and finally decides to allow His presence to "rest" on His good creation again. Sin will be eliminated, death will die fully and finally, satan will be vanquished, every tear will be wiped away as we see the King face to face.
Isa. 26:19
Job 19:25
Heaven on earth.
The Image of God: Jesus of Nazareth
What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
To live as Jesus did.
"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Just as God called Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him...
Jesus calls His disciples to fill the earth and subdue it...to reign with Him.
Where the authority to reign with God had previously been lost, Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28 that, "all authority has been given to me."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)